Serenade For My Love
by The Writer Forever
Summary: What happens when Alex gets drunk and confronts his best friend Claire about his true feelings for her? LOL! Read and find out! LOL!
1. Chapter 1

**Thanks to my friend Marie for cheering me up and so I got in the mood for more writting of Claire and Alex! Thing is, I saw eppie where Claire's room is redecorated and I cried sooooo much...And than I read Marie's stories and smile came back to my face, really needed some C&A moments than! ******

**So, I was laying down on the couch in front of the TV and suddenly idea popped up in my head! And in few hours, I wrote this story – it's kinda short, but it's finished – imagine that!! LOL! I promise you that you will have good laugh while reading this! Reviews are more than appreciated, thanks in forward! ******

**Notice: Jodi, Tess and Claire are sisters here! Jodi is dating Luke and Tess is dating Nick. And Claire and Alex were never a couple! ******

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, they all belong to McLeod's daughters and some sentences are from the original show! ******

**Chapter 1: I love you more than my chopper**

Tess was in the kitchen, playing cards with Jodi.

„You're on", smiled Jodi, throwing popcorn in her mouth, smiling.

Tess pulled out a grimace as she stared at her cards. She huffed in frustration as she scanned the misery of cards in her hands.

„Come on, Tess, you can't think that much!", Jodi started to loose her patientce.

Tess grimaced even more and as she was about to throw a card, front doors slammed opened and shut ted down next moment soooo loud that Tess and Jodi screamed in surprise and their cards fell all over the place!

In next moment Claire showed up, furious as a hell and picked up the cards and sat down, leaving Jodi and Tess in complete shock.

Totally ignoring their looks, Claire started to shuffle cards and shortly said:

„Jodes, get us some ice cream."

Jodi glared at Tess and Tess looked back at her, than as Jodi got up from the chair and opened the fridge, Tess turned back to Claire.

„What happened?", asked Tess.

„Nothing", was Claire's short reply. 

„Weren't you supposed to dig holes at Skinny Jim paddock with Alex?", asked Jodi, putting ice cream on the table.

„Don't wanna talk about it", Claire gave short answer once again and dealed cards with energic movements of her hands.

Jodi sat back down beside Tess, neither of them didn't dared to ask Claire anything else.

Tess carefully threw first card and Jodi followed her. Claire was staring at her cards, than angrily slammed one on the table.

„Bloody, stupid, drunken idiot!", growled Claire under her breath.

Jodi bit her lip, trying very hard not to laugh. Tess swallowed her laugh, putting one more card on the table. Jodi followed it and than again it was Claire's turn. And one more time, she growled silently in frustration:

„I can't believe he said it again! AGAIN! Like I'm some stupid useless machine as his stupid useless chopper!!"

Tess and Jodi shared a look, having no clue what the hell is Claire talking about.

Tess threw another card, Jodi followed and they looked intently at their oldest sister. Claire didn't moved and all of the sudden she threw her cards angrily in the air and jumped from the chair, exploding:

„Stupid drunken idiot!!" If there is former life, stupid Alex Ryan was bottle of homebrew in that one, that's for sure!!"

She stormed through the kitchen toward the fridge annd opened it. She scanned it for a second and in next moment she furiously slammed the doors of it.

„Jodi, where's that damn ice cream?!"

„Um...it's on the table, Claire", Jodi barely replied from trying to hold her laugh. 

Claire grabbed bowl of ice cream and digged into it. Swalloweing mouthfull of ice cream, she continued:

„I mean, who the hell he think he is?! I mean, he is changing girlfriends like socks and than he has a nerve to tell me – ME – that he loves me more than his bloddy stupid chopper!!!!! TWICE!!!!!!!!"

That sent Jodi and Tess to bits of laughter. Claire turned on her heels. 

„What, how can you laugh at this?! Oh, it's funny. Huh, it's hilarious joke to two of you, huh?!", Claire ranted, frustrated as a hell „How would you feel, Jodi, if Luke would come and tell you that he loves you more than a fridge?!"

That sent Jodi to even bigger laughter and she layed her head on her arms on the table and Tess leaned her head on her younger sister's shoulder laughing sooooo much that tears came in her eyes from all the laugh. 

„Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!", Claire groaned in frustration and exited the kitchen, storming upstairs.

Jodi doubled over from laughing and Tess leaned on her chair, laughing loud.

„Oh, I can just imagine Alex like that!!", laughed Jodi. „That plastered look in his eyes and drunken talking!", she catched Tess's hand and squeezing it gently, she imitated Alex's voice „Claire, I love you more than my chopper!"

„Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha, stop it, you're killing me!!", laughed Tess and Jodi laughed even more.

„God, I wish I could have seen that!", chuckled Jodi. She calmed down a bit while Tess still laughed slightly.

Jodi looked toward the stairs and glared back at Tess.

„How much uspet do ya think tha Claire is?", asked Jodi, suddenly geting worried for her big sister. Ever since she got aware of world around herself, Jodi was always seeing Claire and Alex closely by each other. They were nothing more than best mates, although it was pretty obvious that there are some stronger feelings there between those two.

Tess wiped her wet cheeks and followed Jodi's look. She nodded and said: 

„You're right. We better check it."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: She's just a Claire**

Nick took some groceries in the back of his Ute while Luke locked the truck – stop and came toward Nick. 

"Thanks for the lift, Nick, I will check my motorbike first thing in the morning", said Luke gratefully.

"No worries, mate", said Nick and as they were about to get inside the Ute, they heard loud horn from the car that passed by and someone's shouting: 

"Who the hell gave ya a driving license, you moron?!!?" 

Nick turned surprised and frowned in shock as he recognized his brother walking like Captain Jack Sparrow with beer in his hand and him and Luke rushed toward Alex. As they reached him and he leaned on them, they started to walk toward the Ute. And that was when Alex broke down in tears.

"Alex, what the hell happened?", asked Nick, noticing that Alex's breath smells like barrel of beer.

Alex bowed his head down a bit and continued to cry. Luke and Nick shared confused glances at each other and than Luke tried:

"What is it, Alex? Lost in a pool game?", asked Luke.

Alex shook his head and barely replied from sobbing:

"She hates me, Luke, she hates me! I told her that I love her and now she hates me!"

Now Nick and Luke got even more confused and Nick carefully asked:

"You're crying because of some girl rejected ya?", Nick frowned; that wasn't like Alex at all.

"Mate, it's just a girl, no big deal", Luke tried to calm Alex down, but Alex winced:

"No, not a girl! Claire!"

Luke creased his eyebrows in confusion.

"What do ya mean not a girl?", asked Luke. 

Nick shook his head slightly and said:

"It's his weird theory about Claire. He even told her that some time ago – that she's a Claire! Not a girl, not a guy, but a Claire!" 

"You're not helping here!", winced Alex in desperation. 

Nick and Luke held their laugh and than Nick asked:

"All right, what did you told her now, you moron?"

"I just told her that I love her...", Alex said through tears.

Luke raised his eyebrows.

"Well, that's good", said Luke and he looked at Nick quizzically "Isn' it?"

"...more than my chopper", finished Alex and Nick cracked up with Luke following him into laugh.

Alex stared at them in disbelief and yelled through tears:

"This isn't funny!! You gotta help me!"

"I think you should go home, mate and and have a good sleep", laughed Luke.

"Yeah, and than apologize to Claire tomorrow", laughed Nick.

"NO!", protested Alex "I have nothing to apologize for 'cause it's true what I said! I really do love her more than my chopper! Hell, I love her more than all choppers on this world!!", suddenly Alex flinched a bit and pushed Nick and Luke toward the Ute "Come on, get going, straight toward Drovers Run! Luke, is your guitar here?", asked Alex, swinging slightly on his weak drunken legs and Nick held him. 

"Alex...", said Nick, but Alex interrupted him:

"No, no, Nicholas! This had gone way too far, 15 bloody years – and sure as a hell I'm not waiting anymore! Go, Luke, grab that guitar!" 

Luke didn't needed to hear it one more time and he rushed back toward truck – stop to get a guitar while Nick led Alex to the Ute, shaking from laughter...


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Did I tell you that I love you today?**

Tess knocked on doors of Claire's room.

"Claire?", she called gently before pressing the doorknob and opened the doors.

Her and Jodi came inside and noticed Claire sitting on her bed, her chin rested on her knees as she cried so intense that her whole body shook from sobbing. 

Jodi and Tess quickly rushed toward their sister and sitting on each side of bed, they hugged her tightly.

Tess felt bad for laughing few minutes ago, cursing in herself that she should have realized how upset her sister was…She realized long time ago that something really special connects Claire and Alex, yet those two continued to frustrate the hell out of everybody pretending to be just best mates.

"He's such an idiot", mumbled Claire. 

Jodi kissed Claire's hair and said:

"I know, Claire."

"He is such a jerk", Claire continued with her Ode to Alex.

"Sure is", agreed Tess.

"You would think that he is a girl, he is such a ninny!", Claire grumbled, taking a napkin and blowing her nose.

"Sure is", nodded Jodi, than she looked at Tess, who pulled her cheeks in so she doesn't burst to laugh. Jodi swallowed her own laugh and added, caressing Claire's back gently "Damn Maid Marion.", mumbled Jodi, pretending all serious.

Claire gazed at Jodi and in next moment three of them cracked up from laughing.

Falling on the bed, Claire pulled her two crazy sisters with her and they stared at the ceiling and as the laughter calmed down, Tess looked at Claire.

"You said he said it again", Tess pointed out. 

Claire nodded, still looking at the ceiling.

"Yeah…And he didn't remembered the single word he said in the morning first time he said it", Claire quietly said.

Jodi took Claire's hand and grumbled:

"He's such a hopeless case…", she looked at her sister's eyes and added "But, you know, Claire…They say that drunk man says what sober man thinks!"

And in that moment, they heard guitar and Alex' s drunken voice broke the silence as he sang from the top of his lungs in total false, not even trying to keep up with Luke's guitar:

_  
__"Did I tell you that I love you today? __  
__Have I looked into your eyes? __  
__Cause I've taken down that last remaining wall __  
__and showed myself to you ___

_As I am __  
__All my faults __  
__All my thoughts __  
__All my yearning"_

Nick winked to Luke:

"Here comes crescendo", said Nick as Alex opened his arms widely and sang out loud:

_"Oh I love you __  
__Always have and always will __  
__and I wanna face this moment __  
__Hold it near __  
__Hold it deep __  
__Hold it still ___

_Did you know how scared I used to be __  
__Scared for you, scared of me __  
__But taking down this barrier __  
__and touching you at last __  
__has broken all that down ___

_Into dust __  
__blown away __  
__Now there's us __  
__and we're real ___

_Oh I love you __  
__Always have and always will __  
__and I wanna face this moment __  
__Hold it near __  
__Hold it deep __  
__Hold it still ___

_Oh I love you __  
__Always have and always will __  
__and I wanna face this moment __  
__Hold it near __  
__Hold it deep __  
__Hold it still ___

_Did I tell you that I love you today..." ___

_"Did I Tell You?" – Rebecca Lavelle_


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Even a Brave J knows it too**

"Oooohhh, isn't that romantic!!", squealed Tess and her and Jodi rushed toward the window.

"Oh, Claire, come on!", exclaimed Jodi. "At least show your face on the window!"

Claire pressed her lips tightly together and after few seconds, she mumbled under the breath:

"You're soooo dead now, Alexander Ryan!!", she jumped from the bed and rushed outside her room. Tess and Jodi didn't even noticed it, they were totally oblivious to anything else except Nick and Luke and than they heard Claire's voice:

"Come on, girls, this song is for me, move away a bit!"

"Oh, thank God, you're finally…", Jodi rolled her eyes and turned around to see Tess's mouth wide open and Claire with can of cold water in her hands!! "Claireeeeeeeeee, noooooooooooooo!!!!", both Jodi and Tess exclaimed. But, before they could do anything, Claire splashed water on Alex and yelled:

"How's that, you drunken idiot?! Don't tell me that you love me more than freezing water as well!!"

Coldness of the water brought Alex a bit back to The World of Sobers and he yelled back at Claire:

"Geez, McLeod, what's wrong with you?! Any other girl would melted away if a bloke would sing her a serenade under the window!!"

"Well, I'm not a girl, I'm a Claire, like you said it yourself!!", Claire yelled at him.

Nick, Luke, Tess and Jodi moved away and met at veranda and quickly drove away from Drovers Run.

"Oh, come on, Claire, be reasonable!", Alex exclaimed.

"Ha, look who's talking about being reasonable here! You are brave just when you're drunk, Maid Marion!", Claire yelled back.

"Hey, I asked you not to call me like that!", Alex yelled.

"Or what?". Claire sticked her tongue "Maid Marion, Maid Marion!" 

"All right, that's' it! I'm coming in!", Alex went toward the entrance and Claire yelled from the window:

"Don't ya dare, Alex Ryan, do ya hear me?!", and she disappeared in next moment. Rushing down the stairs, she grabbed glass of water from the table and sprinted to close and lock he doors just when Alex ran inside the house!

Claire splashed water from a glass to Alex's face and as he shut his eyes and rubbed them with palm to wipe water away, Claire tried to push him out of the house. But, Alex grabbed her wrists gently and whispered:

"No more running away from me, McLeod!", and in next moment he claimed his lips over her lips!

Soft moan escaped from her mouth and she wrapped her hands around his broad, masculine shoulders. As the kiss deepened, they fought with each others shirts and in next moment, Claire felt Alex's arms picking her up and he took her upstairs to her room. Passion took over them and they quickly took each other's clothes off and layed down on the bed, never stop kissing…

As the dawn started to break away behind the hills, Claire looked at alex's blue eyes and whispered:

"So…do you still love me now when it's morning "

Alex smiled, moving strand of her silky brown hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, Claire…I love you this morning – and I will love you for all the following mornings of our lives", he kissed her lips and Claire smiled.

"Good…'cause I love you, too…more than your chopper!", said Claire and they both giggled and kissed one more time.

"You have to admit – it was unique declaration of love!", chuckled Alex, pulling her closer to him.

Claire laughed:

"Than why didn't ya told me that you remembered it first time you said it?", she asked.

"I'm sorry, honey…Guess I was afraid…", he admitted "…of your rejection."

Claire traveled her hands up and down his masculine arms and while they kissed again, she giggled saying:

"I believe this calls for a toast with homebrew!", and with those words, they both laughed and Alex rolled her on the bed.

As he got her laying on her back, he whispered:

"We make a good team, don't we?", he winked. "You know it…I know it…" 

"Even a Brave J knows it, too!", chuckled Claire and they laughed, joining their lips in one more kiss…One of the many kisses that they will share till the rest of their lives.

**The End**


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